Black ___

Latest answer — July 18, 2026

40 Across

Think of covert operations that often occur in the shadows! 🕵️‍♂️

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, July 18, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Unite, with "up"
  2. 5Many an extra in the "Lord of the Rings" movies
  3. 8Like fondue, traditionally
  4. 13Nairobi-based collection of NGOs
  5. 15Restriction on how much one can serve
  6. 17Conductor's reference
  7. 18Opportunity to compare notes, perhaps
  8. 19Very traditional sort
  9. 21Khloe, Kim or Kourtney, familiarly
  10. 22Jennifer who won a Pulitzer for "A Visit From the Goon Squad"
  11. 23Concerning
  12. 24Weight
  13. 26Orange video game character who appears in "Wreck-It Ralph"
  14. 27Retailer with mountains in its logo
  15. 28Persuade, as on a course of action
  16. 29Shade
  17. 30Smartphone feature that debuted worldwide in 2011
  18. 34Hot
  19. 35Kind of acid partly responsible for sourdough's tang
  20. 37"Sorry, that's way above my pay grade"
  21. 40Black ___
  22. 41Line holders
  23. 42Brilliant example
  24. 43Digs up by the roots
  25. 46Cry at the end of a countdown
  26. 47Dead center?
  27. 48Song whose titular subject has a "dark brown voice"
  28. 49Mesh
  29. 50One side of many a transaction
  30. 52Backs up on its own, say
  31. 55Titular animated dog of children's TV
  32. 56Go down swinging, perhaps
  33. 57What might add a bit of flavor to a salsa?
  34. 58Company bought by Tempur-Pedic in 2012
  35. 59W.W. II-era occupation for baseball's Moe Berg, following his playing career
  36. 60Rides

Down

  1. 1Left
  2. 2"Um ... what?!"
  3. 3With even stronger reasoning, in law
  4. 4Super man?
  5. 5Quite a few characters in 2025's "Elio," for short
  6. 6Unleashes
  7. 7Results of one's labors, so to speak
  8. 8Shrewd
  9. 9You might give this to someone you want to avoid
  10. 10Outward appearance
  11. 11Instrument that's held at about a 45-degree angle from the player's body
  12. 12Inner tube?
  13. 14"Bonjour, ___ amis!"
  14. 16Figures listed on Zocdoc, for short
  15. 20Gustav Klimt masterpiece
  16. 25Choose
  17. 26Charlatans
  18. 28Exercises with a "butterfly" variation, in which the soles of one's feet are pressed together
  19. 29Overtook?
  20. 31Cosmetic additive that comes from the Southwest
  21. 32Flowering period
  22. 33Actor who plays the title role on TV's "Andor"
  23. 36Classic Easter treat
  24. 38Report
  25. 39Items frozen in cryopreservation
  26. 43Flute, for one
  27. 44Way
  28. 45Prefix with marathon
  29. 46Bygone recorders
  30. 47Grabber
  31. 49Race of supernatural spirits
  32. 51Fall back
  33. 53You might look up to this
  34. 54Unpleasant digs

The answer to “Black ___” in the New York Times crossword is OPS — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 18, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 40-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Black ___” answer

OPS (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is OPS.

Why the answer is OPS

Think of covert operations that often occur in the shadows! 🕵️‍♂️

What does OPS mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of OPS is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a surgical operation
  • a radio or telephone operator

When else has “Black ___” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

July 18, 2026 (most recent) → OPS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Black ___”?

The answer is OPS, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Black ___”?

3 letters: OPS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on July 18, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 40-Across.

Can “Black ___” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for July 18, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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